Basilan: Hundreds of Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) members and their families from Basilan availed of various government services through the Inter-Cabinet Cluster Mechanism on Normalization (ICCMN) Caravan held here on Tuesday.
According to Philippines News Agency, around 24 ICCMN member agencies, including six ministries from the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) government, the provincial government of Basilan, and Lamitan City joined the caravan. They provided interventions such as agricultural inputs, medical services, civil registration, cooperative registration, health insurance, internet access, and amnesty applications for former rebels.
International partners such as UNDP, Non-violent Peace Force, and Fondation Suisse de Deminage, alongside private sector groups like the Ayala Foundation, set up education booths at the main gymnasium. They explained to beneficiaries how to access peace, educational, development, gender, and social enterprise programs. The UNDP also turned over a multipurpose speedboat, while Land Bank offered a booth for financial education.
Myrna Katang, a 45-year-old MILF member from Tipo Tipo, expressed gratitude for the government's implementation of the Bangsamoro peace process. "Thank you very much for your help, for the medicines you gave, for the eye checkups, your program really helped a lot today," she said.
Salam Ajud, a 60-year-old MNLF member and recipient of the government's Transformation Program, applied for President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.'s amnesty program. He stated, "I applied to the Amnesty program to clear our name if there are more cases... Thank you very much for the help and program for the MILF and the MNLF."
The ICCMN, created by Executive Order 79 and amended by EO No. 6 s. 2022, ensures timely and efficient delivery of the Normalization Program under the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB). It coordinates and mobilizes national government agencies to transform MILF combatants and their families into productive, peaceful members of society and turn their camps into zones of peace and development. The ICCMN is co-chaired by the Special Assistant to the President Anton Lagdameo and Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation, and Unity Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr.
The ICCMN Caravan aims to address the immediate needs of decommissioned MILF combatants, their families, and communities by providing essential services and informing them of longer-term initiatives like infrastructure projects, scholarships, and livelihood programs.
Lamitan Mayor Roderick "Orik" Furigay praised the caravan for uniting people in bringing essential services and opportunities to MILF members and other beneficiaries, reflecting a shared commitment to peace and development in the Bangsamoro region. He affirmed the dedication of ICCMN member agencies to ensuring a dignified transition from conflict to peace through health, livelihood, education, and social protection services.
Basilan Governor Jim Saliman Hataman thanked government agencies for assisting former combatants in their transition to peaceful and productive citizens. He urged MILF and MNLF members to focus on peace and development rather than politics.
Lagdameo, whose message was read by OSAP Assistant Secretary Ria Lumapas, emphasized the importance of the ICCMN Caravan in providing essential services and facilitating the reintegration of former combatants as contributing members of society. He highlighted President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.'s commitment to ensuring that efforts result in the sustainable progress of the Bangsamoro people.
